Kaoru Kobayashi (小林 薫, Kobayashi Kaoru, born on September 4, 1951) is a Japanese actor born in Kyoto. A multi-award winning thespian, he won best actor at the 30th Yokohama Film Festival[1] and best-supporting actor at the 8th Yokohama Film Festival for Sorobanzuku.[2]
Kaoru Kobayashi | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 4, 1951 |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1971–present |
| Spouse(s) | Kumi Nakamura (1984–1995) Koume (2009–) |
| Children | 1 |
Career
Kobayashi starred in Yoichi Sai's Quill.[3] He also appeared in Yuya Ishii's The Great Passage[4] and starred as "Master" in both the films, Midnight Diner and Midnight Diner 2. He is most widely recognized by Western audiences for his lead performance in the episodic counterpart drama series, Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories, which was later picked up for international streaming by Netflix. The show garnered critical-acclaim and holds a perfect 100% score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Ballad of Orin | |||
| 1979 | 18sai, umi e | |||
| 1982 | Yaju-deka | |||
| 1984 | The Funeral | |||
| 1985 | Sorekara | |||
| Paradise View | ||||
| Love Letter | ||||
| 1986 | Sorobanzuku | |||
| 1987 | Twilight of the Cockroaches | Saito | ||
| 1989 | Untamagiru | Giru | Leading role | |
| 1997 | Princess Mononoke | Jiko-bō (voice) | ||
| 1999 | Himitsu | Heisuke Sugita | Leading role | |
| The Black House | [5] | |||
| 2003 | Like Asura | |||
| 2004 | Quill | |||
| 2006 | The Blossoming of Kamiya Etsuko | |||
| Tales from Earthsea | The King (voice) | |||
| 2007 | Tokyo Tower: Mom and Me, and Sometimes Dad | |||
| 2008 | Vacation | |||
| 2009 | Kamui Gaiden | Hanbei | ||
| 2010 | Boys on the Run | Suzuki | ||
| A Crowd of Three | ||||
| Haru's Journey | ||||
| Abraxas | ||||
| Sketches of Kaitan City | ||||
| 2011 | The Egoists | |||
| 2013 | The Great Passage | Araki | ||
| Summer's End | ||||
| 2015 | Midnight Diner | The Master | Leading role | |
| 2016 | Midnight Diner 2 | The Master | Leading role | |
| Fueled: The Man They Called Pirate | Jisaku Kōga | |||
| 2017 | Kiseki: Sobito of That Day | Morita | ||
| Mukoku | Shōzō Yatabe | |||
| Lear on the Shore | ||||
| Miracles of the Namiya General Store | ||||
| 2018 | The Miracle of Crybaby Shottan | Fujita | ||
| 2019 | His Lost Name | Tetsurō | ||
| The Island of Cats | ||||
| 2020 | Independence of Japan | Shigeru Yoshida | [6] | |
| 2021 | We Made a Beautiful Bouquet | Hirotarō Yamane | [7] | |
| Arc | [8] | |||
| 2022 | Yes, I Can't Swim | Professor Kamoshita | [9] | |
| A Winter Rose | [10] | |||
| Dr. Coto's Clinic 2022 | Shōichi Hoshino | [11] | ||
| 2023 | Trapped Balloon | Shigezō Kojima | [12] | |
| Baian the Assassin, M.D. | Tsuyama Etsudō | [13] | ||
| Baian the Assassin, M.D. 2 | Tsuyama Etsudō | [13] | ||
| Tsugaru Lacquer Girl | Miyako's father | [14] | ||
| Kubi | Tokugawa Ieyasu | [15] | ||
| The Boy and the Heron | Old Pelican (voice) | [16] | ||
| 2024 | The Yin Yang Master Zero | Fujiwara no Yoshisuke | [17] | |
| Promised Land | Shimoyama | [18] |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Network | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Tōge no Gunzō | Fuwa Kazuemon | NHK | Taiga drama | |
| 1992 | The Last U-Boat | Tatsumi | NHK | TV movie | |
| 1996–2015 | Naniwa Kin'yūdō | Sumio Kuwata | Fuji TV | ||
| 2003–2006 | Dr. Coto's Clinic | Shoichi Hoshino | Fuji TV | 2 seasons | [11] |
| 2009–2014 | Midnight Diner | The Master | TBS | Leading role | |
| 2011 | Carnation | Zensaku Ohara | NHK | Asadora | |
| 2015 | The Emperor's Cook | Kaneichi Usami | TBS | ||
| Koinaka: Best Friends in Love | Hirotoshi Serizawa | Fuji TV | |||
| 2016 | Botchan | Madonna's father | Fuji TV | Special appearance, TV movie | |
| Hibana | Watanabe | Netflix | |||
| 2016–2019 | Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories | The Master | Netflix | Leading role | |
| 2017 | Naotora: The Lady Warlord | Reverend Nankei | NHK | Taiga drama | |
| Ties: A Miraculous Colt | Kayama | NHK | Miniseries | ||
| Heaven | Hajime Doisaki | Wowow | Miniseries | ||
| 2018 | Hagetaka | Ryōsuke Iijima | TV Asahi | ||
| 2019 | The Great White Tower | Mataichi Zaizen | TV Asahi | Miniseries | |
| 2021 | Reach Beyond the Blue Sky | Shibusawa Ichirōemon | NHK | Taiga drama | [19] |
| Kyojo 2 | Takeshi Shindo | Fuji TV | Miniseries | [20] | |
| 2023 | The Days | Furuya | Netflix | [21] | |
| Kazama Kimichika: Kyojo Zero | Takeshi Shindo | Fuji TV | [20] | ||
| Fixer | Deputy prime minister Ichirō Suzaki | Wowow | [22] | ||
| 2024 | The Tiger and Her Wings | Shigechika Hodaka | NHK | Asadora | [23] |
Dubbing
- The West Wing (seasons 1-4), Josiah Bartlet (Martin Sheen)[24]
Awards
| Year | Award | Category | Work(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 4th Hochi Film Award | Best New Artist | 18sai, umi e | Won |
| 1986 | 59th Kinema Junpo Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Sorekara | Won |
| 9th Japan Academy Film Prize | Best Supporting Actor | Sorekara and Love Letter | Won | |
| 1987 | 8th Yokohama Film Festival | Best Supporting Actor | Sorobanzuku | Won |
| 2000 | 23rd Japan Academy Film Prize | Best Actor | Himitsu and Coquille | Nominated |
| 2008 | 31st Japan Academy Film Prize | Best Supporting Actor | Tokyo Tower: Mom and Me, and Sometimes Dad | Won |
| 2009 | 30th Yokohama Film Festival | Best Actor | Kyūka and Kanki no Uta | Won |
| 2017 | 26th Japanese Movie Critics Awards | Best Actor | Midnight Diner 2 | Won |
References
External links
- Official profile (in Japanese)
- Kaoru Kobayashi at IMDb